A tense standoff has erupted on a residential Detroit street after a gunman opened fire on up to 10 people before fleeing to a nearby home.
Chaos broke out at a family splashpad in Rochester Hills in Michigan at around 5pm Saturday as up to 28 rounds were fired in quick succession, injuring children as young as eight-years-old.
The gunman then holed up in a nearby home within half a mile of the splash pad, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told Local 4 in a press conference. He added that police were working on getting a warrant to access the property.
‘It appears very random with no connectivity between the victims,’ Bouchard explained.
Bouchard added that the gunman ‘pulled up, exited a vehicle, approached the splash pad, opened fire, reloaded, opened fire, reloaded. And then left.’
As of early Saturday evening, police had cornered the gunman in the home, and said they were communicating with them in a tense standoff.
Gunshots rang out at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills on Saturday evening, where up to 10 people were shot in a ‘random’ spree
The suspect raced into a nearby home, and a tense standoff has ensued with cops cornering the gunman inside the property
Police were on the scene within two minutes of the attack after a deputy was alerted to gunshots having been fired through the use of the city’s new 911 tech.
Details of the condition of the victims is unclear, although a spokesman for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said the victims included children and adults, with the youngest just eight years old.
‘It’s a gut-punch,’ Bouchard said. ‘We’re not fully comprehending what happened at Oxford and now we have another complete tragedy that we’re dealing with.’
By the time he fled the scene, the gunman had fired 28 rounds with a 9mm pistol and three empty magazines were recovered by investigators, Fox 2 Detroit reported.
Aerial images from the scene showed a large number of evidence markers placed around the waterpark, where dozens of bullets were shot in quick succession.
No description of the shooter has been released but negotiators and a police SWAT team have cornered him outside the house he holed up inside.
Aerial images from the scene showed a large number of evidence markers placed around the waterpark, where dozens of bullets were shot in quick succession
Officials said the gunman shot up to 28 rounds of ammunition and reloaded several times when they opened fire
Police said they recovered a 9mm handgun used in the shooting spree, but were not clear whether the gunman had additional weapons during the standoff
An officer with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department secures the scene of a shooting at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad early Saturday evening
Police said it is not yet known if there are other people inside the property.
A witness to the standoff told Fox6Now that he was in a home nearby when the situation escalated, and heard police ordering the gunman to exit the property.
Some local residents were seen being cautiously led away from the street as the standoff stretched into the evening.
Corewell Health said in a statement that it was confirming several victims were being treated in its hospital, but declined to offer specifics on their condition.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the scene at the splashpad was cleared, but is still considered an active crime scene.
‘We potentially have the suspect contained nearby, but we asked for the moment people stay away from the area,’ the office said in a statement.
‘We have numerous wounded victims.’
Police were locked in a tense hours-long standoff on the residential street
Officials said the splashpad was cleared but is still considered an active crime scene
The victims include children and adults, with the youngest believed to be just eight-years-old
A heavy police presence quickly descended on the scene, and several streets have been locked down while the gunman remains at large
Police snipers could be seen patrolling the area on the hunt for the shooting suspect
The city-run splash pad faces Auburn Road and is located between a T-Mobile cell phone store and Mozzarella’s, a pizzeria, west of the plaza.
Streets close to the splash pad park were closed by police and emergency personnel Saturday evening.
Michigan Congressman John James said he was downtown at Huntington Place for former President Donald Trump’s address to Turning Point USA when he heard news of the shooting, and raced to the scene to lend support.
‘Under no circumstances in this country, particularly in Rochester Hills, should fathers be spending Father’s Day in a hospital,’ he said.
‘We’re doing everything we possibly can to help the families in need. And (I want to) give a shout-out to first responders who mitigated further damage and who are still in harm’s way to bring resolution to this crisis.’
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer added in a tweet: ‘I am heartbroken to learn about the shooting in Rochester Hills. We are monitoring the situation as updates continue to come in, and are in touch with local officials.’
